Waiting
by RamsesChikakoTaiyou
Summary: Oneshot. Year 7. Just another night of Prefect duties for Draco. He docks points from Gryffindor, goes into Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, and has a chat with his rival of 6 years, but there's nothing out of the ordinary there, right?


"I am lying here in the dark waiting for death."- Kurtz- Heart of Darkness

Odd thing I wrote after reading Heart of Darkness. If you're gonna blame something, blame the quote up there from Kurtz. Dunno why either of them are back at Hogwarts, but hey… for the sake of this fic they just are. :dodges heavy objects from angry readers: Umm.. Ehehe… how about this? Draco is trying to find safety at Hogwarts after going against Voldie and Harry has to go back because he isn't prepared enough to go finding Horcruxes on his own. Why is Draco still a prefect? Umm… that I really don't know… O o' Please ignore these plotholes… Please don't kill me…

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Not Harry, Draco, or even Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom... but if anyone's planning on selling any rights to them I'll bid! Maybe not for the bathroom...

Tonight's rounds are like every other night's. No one's out of bed, except for that idiot first-year from one of the lesser Houses. I'll be sure to dock points from Gryffindor for that one. Hehe.. But really it is rather boring when there's no one of interest out of bed (or no one of interest daft enough to get caught out of bed). Hmm? Is someone talking? I follow the sound of the voice until I reach a girl's bathroom. Oh joy… It's Moaning Myrtle's. Insert exasperated sigh here. Someone up there must be making fun of me tonight… Probably Peeves. I push the door open and see… nothing. Except absolute darkness of course. Really it's pitch black in here. I squint, trying to adjust my eyes to the darkness, but I can barely see the sink in front of me… Wait… that's not a sink. Is it? Bloody hell. I can't see anything, all right? I can however hear breathing in the corner of the room. I call out.

"Who's there?"

No response, but the breathing pauses briefly as though the person was trying not to breathe. Probably trying to make it seem like I imagined the breathing so I'll go away. Fool… Do you honestly think that'll work? Malfoys do not imagine things. Fine then. Don't reveal yourself. I'll find out anyway.

"Lumos."

That sink that was in front of me… Remember that? Just for future reference, I was right. I smirk to myself. Of course I was right. My attention is drawn to the corner of the room where I don't see anything really. The only signs that there's a person there are the breathing, which sped up as the person tried to breathe normally again, and the tip of a poorly concealed white trainer. I roll my eyes. Oh really, Potter… Your trainers are what got you caught on the train last year.

"Invisibility cloaks are only good if you hide all of you. That includes your feet. Potter, what are you doing here?"

I pull the cloak off him and he sighs and mutters something softly.

"I'm sorry. I didn't quite catch that…. Care to repeat for someone unskilled in your personal language?"

"'I'm lying in the dark waiting for death,' Malfoy. Happy?"

I quirk an eyebrow at his statement.

"No need to get all dramatic, Golden Boy."

"Shove it, Malfoy. I have better things to do than to deal with the likes of you right now."

"Better things to do? Like 'waiting for death'? I'm sorry if you're disappointed that he's late for your appointment, but I can arrange something if you'd like."

"Whatever, Malfoy. I'm tired of this."

He gets up and heads toward the door. That's it? No argument? No fight? No "fuck off, Malfoy, before I hex you into next week?" What the hell?

"What are you trying to pull, Potter?"

He sighs again and turns to face me. It is then, with only the faint trace of moonlight and the light from my wand, that I notice the tired and worn look etched into the face of my rival, my enemy, of 6 years.

"Potter?"

"Stop pretending, Malfoy. Stop pretending to be concerned. Stop pretending that you don't have better things to do. The war's approaching. Don't you have to do something for your master?"

He spits the last word out like it's poison.

"I bow to no one, Potter. I have no master."

I sneer as I say that and he looks shocked for a brief moment. Is it really that surprising that I would refuse to lower myself to a state of servitude to anyone? Servitude my arse… I'm a Malfoy, not a bloody houself. I see his face brighten momentarily and for that moment, I don't see the "Savior of the Wizarding World" or the "Golden Boy" standing in front of me. For that brief moment, all I see is a 17-year-old boy.

"So… are you here in the dark waiting for death too?"

I frown at him.

"Don't try to make parallels between us, Potter. I'm not waiting for death like some coward. And before you say anything, I'm not blindly moving towards it like some idiot either. I'm just living and dealing with what comes my way. Do what you want, avoid what you want, and live for the moment. Waiting for death… Hmph… and you're a Gryffindor? Listen, don't wait for death if you're not ready to keep the appointment. But if you think he's keeping you waiting I'll be glad to put you out of your misery and help you out there."

He gives me a slightly puzzled look before allowing a smile to grace his features. I smirk back (I don't do smiles. It's un-Slytherin) before walking past him. I pause at the door and call out to him again.

"Oh yea… and Potter?"

"Hmm?"

"50 points from Gryffindor for being out of bed after curfew and for your ridiculous self-pity."

I close the door behind me and hear a muffled tirade sounding something similar to "Gah! Bloody insufferable git! Stupid prat! I hope you burn in hell, Malfoy!" I allow myself a smirk to a lesser degree (No, it's not a smile. I already said I don't do smiles) as I walk back to the dungeons. Nope… Nothing out of the ordinary here.

Owari

Hmm.. I think I like writing in Draco's P.O.V. Oh yea, and something was brought to my attention by my friend, Lulu. Why is it that the people who visit Moaning Myrtle's bathroom are mostly guys? On that note, please review!


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